Nice and readable. Awfully disparaging towards vegans and people with intolerances though. Perhaps it's a little too true to life. Realistic portrayal of life is fine, but not to the extent of direct insults. ( )

Confession: I read this book by accident.

Some time ago, I saw [b:Life From Scratch|9685259|Life From Scratch|Melissa Ford|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347651871s/9685259.jpg|14573308] on Amazon and added it to my to-read list. The cover is gorgeous:
[bc:Life From Scratch|9685259|Life From Scratch|Melissa Ford|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347651871s/9685259.jpg|14573308]
A few weeks ago, I searched some titles from my to-read list in the Brooklyn Public Library's electronic books catalog, and put a few on reserve. Obviously, what came up when I typed in "Life from Scratch" was this book, and I didn't notice the minor title difference.

Interestingly, after I realized my mistake, I discovered that this book was published in hardcover in 2009 as [b:Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker|6267708|Confections of a Closet Master Baker One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker|Gesine Bullock-Prado|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320392440s/6267708.jpg|6450988]; they changed the title to My Life from Scratch for the 2010 paperback release (which happened about a month before the release of Life from Scratch). Can anyone in the publishing world speak to whether completely changing a title between releases is more common that I realize? Would they have known that a very similarly titled book was due to come out a month later?

For what it's worth, I think "Confections" as a play on "Confessions" in the original title is clever, but "Closet Master Baker" is a weird phrase that probably should have been avoided in the first place. If I were the publisher, I would have gone with "Confections of a Master Baker" and left it at that. Unless we think "Master Baker" is something like "Master Debater" and prone to elicit snickers from 12-year-old boys? Relatedly, who else did a spit-take when Jill Biden said, “I’ve heard the urgency in [Joe Biden's] voice when he comes ... and talks about the people he’s met”?

In any case, My Life from Scratch is a quick and easy read about a woman who gave up the Hollywood rat race to open a bakery in Vermont because she loves making sweets so much. If this book were a pastry, it'd be a meringue: airy and sweet, but slightly dull and not terribly filling. I did learn three things, however: (1) Originally, macaroons were coconut-free; (2) the author's name, Gesine, is pronounced Geh-see-neh, with a hard "g", (she really hates when it's mispronounced); and (3) Sandra Bullock is her sister. Yes, really. ( )

An enjoyable read. The main reason I wanted to read this is because it sounded like the author was in a similar situation in life as I am. That is, fed up with current career and ready to follow a passion. My passion happens to be the same as the author's, baking.
The author had was distinct advantage over me though. Her sister is Sandra Bullock. With name recognition like that, you have a certain advantage with a business venture.
Besides that one advantage, I did feel an uncanny kinship with her outlook on life as well as her business sense. That was encouraging.

This was a fun read. It even contains recipes at the end of each chapter. ( )

Gesine Bullock-Prado is the sister of film star, Sandra Bullock. For nine years she ran her sister's film production company but became increasingly disillusioned with Hollywood and decided to move to Vermont and open her own bakery.

Warning: this is not a good book to eat if you are hungry, or if you are a complete and utter cake and pastry addict like me. Her descriptions of food are delicious and the recipes made me want to try them out.

This is quite a charming book. Gesine's passion for pastries really showed, and it seems that it dates back to her childhood and her German grandmother. I loved her stories of life in the bakery, the people who work there and her customers. It's not a book with any real substance, but it's a very pleasurable read. ( )